[Robert A Cook PE]

Also:

Look again at the "V" made by this return going AWAY from the radar itself. A missile flight would show the exact opposite (the "V" going forward with the flight, ending with a faint image at the missile itself - even assuming this kind of weather radar could pick up a single missile anyway.

Now, imagine a large object mometarily in the radar path relatively close to the radar. (Any interference will do, it could even be a debris finally falling low enough to get picked up.) The radar "shadow" WOULD point away from the radar itself, and would expand geometrically exactly as you see.

Nope, this is a single spurious radar reflection, NOT a missile.

By the time the single radar image was seen, you can see the main debris/ion field TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST of Dallas. the shuttle has already broken by this time.

[bvw]

Familiarity and mundanity, positivitst assumptions obscuring rough practical waters -- social and techno entropy -- those will be found to be the cause here, as they were in the Challenger (if not also in the Apollo module that had the deadly fire).